Transfers, Quidditch, and Secrets
by ShadowRunner31
Summary: It's been 19 years since Voldemort's reign of terror came to end. The world has mostly recovered and once again Hogwarts is a school where young witches and wizards study magic in peace, or rather as much peace there can be when so many young magicaly skilled people gather. A new term is about to begin and like every year before them these first years will make some changes.


The Hogwarts Express rolled along down the tracks to Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. Down the halls of the train came James and Albus Potter, and their cousin Rose Weasly. James was growing rather impatient with family as they would not simply choose a compartment to stay during the remainder of the trip.

"It doesn't matter where you sit, just choose a compartment and sit down." James said.

"It does matter James," his younger brother said, "it's not as if we know anyone."

"How do you expect to get to know anyone if you don't meet them fist?' James asked his brother. "Look here's an empty compartment, just sit here, alright?" As soon as the other two were seated James started walking away.

"And just where are you going?" Rose called after her cousin.

"To find my friends," James answered, "I have more important people to see than you lot." Sitting in the compartment at the end of the train, the two cousins began to discuss what is on the mind of most Hogwarts first years going to the school for the first time, what house they would be sorted into.

"I want to be in Gryffindor of course," Rose said, "but if the sorting hat disagrees, than I suppose Ravenclaw would be a good second."

"Ravenclaw does have a good reputation," Albus said thoughtfully, "but I don't think Hufflepuff would be bad either."

"Hufflepuff?" Rose said in surprise, "Why Hufflepuff?"

"Simple, the mark of a Hufflepuff is loyalty, right? I think it would be good to be remembered as a loyal person." Rose admitted that she hadn't thought of that, when the cousins heard someone speaking to them.

"Yo, mind if we sit here?" Albus looked up to a boy and girl about his and Rose's age. The boy was about his height, with amber colored eyes, and dark hair which was jelled to give it a spiky appearance, he had a mischievous smirk. The girl was slightly shorter than Albus, with blue eyes, and long red hair which reminded him of his mother's hair, the girl was looking shyly at the flour.

"No we don't mind." Rose said.

"Thanks," the boy said as he and his friend sat across from the cousins, "my name is Seth, Seth Stevens," he said holding out his hand, which Albus shook. "And this is, well go on introduce yourself." Seth said to the girl who was still avoiding eye contact with everyone else in the compartment.

"My…my name is Amelia Cruise," she said looking up for a brief moment.

"Good to meet both of you," Rose said politely, "Do you two know each other, or did you just meet as well?"

"Oh we just met," Seth said casually, "Saw some jerks picking on her in the hall, I told them to leave her alone, they laughed at me, so I hexed them, they'll probably want hair cuts before the sorting." As Seth talked Albus realized that he was speaking with an accent that he couldn't identify.

"Seth, if you don't mind me asking, are you from out of the country?" Seth laughed.

"Me? Yeah I'm from North America more specifically, Minnesota, United States, yep I'm from Minnesota don'tcha know?" Seth began to laugh but looked up to see the other three staring blankly at him. "Guess you wouldn't know that joke huh? Whatever, but yeah I'm not from around here, my family has friends here though see, so it's kind of tradition that the kids in my family can attend school at Hogwarts if they want. I decided to give Hogwarts a chance my first year, if I don't like it I can always just stay home next year."

Albus found that he liked this new boy, perhaps because he was like James, but Albus wasn't the victim of all his jokes.

"Tell us Seth," Rose said suddenly speaking up again, "have you given any thought as to which house you want to be sorted into."

"Of course I have," Seth said, "My first choice would be Gryffindor, like Harry Potter." Rose shot Albus a look, and it was his turn to look at the ground.

"So you're a fan of Harry Potter?" he said trying to not let his voice betray him. It had been nineteen years but his father was a famous as ever. Why wouldn't he be? He had been the chosen one, the man who brought down Voldemort the most feared dark wizard in history, but now Albus was scared of always compared to his father. He didn't want people to think that whatever he accomplished in his life was because he was the son of Harry Potter, and he was especially scared of being judged by his peers.

"Ha, I guess you could say that," Seth laughed, "But of course Harry Potter isn't the only famous wizard from Gryffindor, Albus Dumbledore, Oliver Wood he went international in Quidditch only eight years after graduating from Hogwarts would have six if it hadn't been for those dark years, Neville Longbottom the herboligist , yeah there have been lots of great wizards and witches from Gryffindor." Albus was taken back he hadn't thought that Seth would know of all those people.

"How do you know about them?" Albus asked, "I didn't think that they are all that famous." Seth again laughed.

"I know if they are," Seth admitted, "But like I said I have friends here, some of them were at Hogwarts at the time of Voldemort's reign of terror, they even fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. I wonder if I'll meet Harry Potter some day that would be epic, I don't suppose that you've met him have you?" Albus and Rose almost laughed when Seth asked this.

"I've met him before, in fact I'm used to seeing him on a daily basis." Albus said still trying not to laugh.

"On a daily basis?! Why would you…" Seth stopped and looked back and forth between Albus and Rose, his eyes widened, and for once his speechless for a few moments, "Wait! Albus Potter! You're related him?!" Now Albus and Rose couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, he's my father." Albus said, trying to stop laughing.

"And yes he's my uncle." Said Rose. Seth looked between Albus and Rose, even Amelia was laughing quietly at the conversation, Seth then palmed himself in the face.

"Wow I must have sounded like an idiot, talking like that." Seth said, embarrassed but smiling.

"Don't worry we're used to meeting stupid gits." Everyone in the compartment looked up to see that James had come back.

"Who are you?" Seth asked, standing up. Albus was nervous that Seth might be ready to start a fight, so he intervened.

"Seth this is my brother James, James this is Seth."

"Well good to meet you Seth." James said holding out his hand, Seth stared at James moment and then shook his hand. As soon as he took James' hand however Seth was covered in a green, blue, and red gooey substance, James began to laugh and Albus groaned.

"James honestly!" Rose shouted, "You know that those aren't allowed at Hogwarts! None of the Weasly Wizard Wheezes are! Here Seth let me help you with that." But Seth wasn't angry, in fact he was also laughing at the prank James had pulled.

"It's fine Rose," Seth said taking his wand out of his left sleeve, "I got this" with a wave of his wand and the mutter of few words the gooey substance he had been covered in vanished.

"How did you do that Seth?" Rose asked in surprise.

"Oh my older sister taught me the spell to get rid of that stuff," he said simply, "The Wheasly Wizard Wheezes are an international company now after all, I've been on the receiving end of their Exploding Whomping Willow Sap packs more times than I want to remember."

"Well I hope there's no hard feelings." James said.

"Of course not," Seth said again smiling, "makes up for what I wrote on your forehead." Everyone looked at James in confusion, and they all burst out laughing. Looking at the window to get a vague reflection, James saw that on his forehead in messy handwriting was written 'I'm a looser.' Seeing this James also began to laugh and turned to Seth.

"How did you do that?" James asked still laughing. Seth held up his wand and answered.

"A hex I learned back home, I figured you were up to something you had the same look in your eye that my older brother gets whenever he's pranking someone, so I decided to prepare my own hex just in case. If I had been wrong I would have just erased that."

The rest of the train ride passed normally. The food trolley came buy and everyone bought various snacks, after that they proceeded to play several rounds of Exploding Snap, and discussed various quidditich elements (James and Seth began to argue over who would win the World Cup). Finally the train came to a halt, James stood up a stretched.

"Come on we've reached Hogwarts you lot follow me." The four first years followed James out the compartment and off the train, the group then separated as first years ride boats across the lake to Hogwarts and the other students ride carriages. "I'll see you lot when you get the castle, don't fall in the lake, and don't get sorted into Slytherin!" Smiling as if proud of himself for making his family and new friends uncomfortable at the last moment, James ran off to find a carriage to ride to the castle.

"But where do we go?" Ameilia asked, clearly nervous, her question was answered by a deep booming voice that carried over all the student's voices.

"Firs' years this way! Firs' years over here.'" The voice said. Looking in the direction the voice was coming from the four first years saw a hulking figure of a man, standing by the boats they were apparently going to ride to the castle.

"Hagrid!" Albus and Rose shouted in excitement as they began to run toward the giant man, Ameilia and Seth ran after them. When the group was next to Hagrid he looked down and smiled widely.

"Albus an' Rose! Ah it's good to see you both," looking at the other two he asked, "An' who are your friends?"

"Hagrid, this is Seth and Amilia." Rose said, and the two of them greeted Hagrid.

"Well it's good to meet you, now you all had best find a boat, we'll be shoving off soon." Having said this Hagrid went back to calling all the first years over to the boats.

The four friends climbed into the boats, Albus and Seth in one boat and Amilia and Rose in another. As the last of the first years climbed into the boats shoved off on their own and began to make their way across the lake. In nervous anticipation the ride passed practically in silence except for a few moments, like when Albus pointed to the giant squid which was met with cries of excitement and fear, though the squid kept its distance. When the boats stopped at the other end of the lake the first years all got out of the boats and walked up to Hogwarts castle. Upon entering the castle the first years were led by Hagrid to the entrance of the great where a man and woman (clearly professors) were waiting for them.

"Here they are professors," Hagrid said, "I'll see you inside, good luck firs' years." And with that Hagrid turned and walked into the great hall.

"Thank you Hagrid," the man said before turning to the first years, "Welcome to Hogwarts, I am Professor Neville Longbottom head of Gryffindor house."

"And I am Olivia Woolf," the second professor introduced herself, "and I am head of Ravenclaw house. In a moment you will enter the great hall and join your fellow students and be sorted into your house."

"Throughout the term at Hogwarts each house will compete for the House Cup," Professor Longbottom continued, "each house's students will work together to earn points for their house, as your triumphs will earn you points any shameful act will cause you to lose points."

"Now if you would follow us," Professor Woolf said, "we will begin the sorting."

With that the doors to the great hall opened and the students began to walk in. The four friends exchanged quick nervous looks which were outshone by their looks of excitement, and began to walk with the rest of their classmates. Their life at Hogwarts had begun.


End file.
